PAGE 8A SUWANNEE DEMOCRAT n JASPER NEWS n MAYO FREE PRESS JUNE 26 & 27, 2019 Scorsese’s Dylan documentary returns to mid-’70s with zany irreverence It’s a brave new world content creator, politely Historically, in order for By ” is of movie watching, what acting as if it honestly a movie to be eligible for a Netflix production that with bigger televisions respects the rules of the an Academy Award, it has played in theaters in a and better sound systems Academy Of Motion Pic- to play a week in a theater handful of major cities for home viewing. Even ture Arts And Sciences, is in Los Angeles County. earlier this month. It’s I’m thinking my 40-inch willing to show some of This brings me to Bob now delighting fans of the flat-screen might be too its own movies in theaters Dylan, Martin Scorsese, troubadour from Minne- small and my sound bar before releasing them on and an adventure staging sota, who are turning the too inadequate. Addition- its streaming channel, concerts out of altruism 142-minute documentary ally, new channel choices hopefully calming any and a dedication to one’s into a much-discussed for streaming films have outcry from proprietary fans. adventure in musical mem- been announced. Oscar folks and nervous “Rolling Thunder Re- ories and the joys of repeat Netflix, the behemoth exhibitors. vue: A Story streaming. The movie, directed by Scorsese with Dylan’s immensely interested co-operation follows the singer and his own band of Merry Pranksters (no involvement by Ken Ke- sey’s troupe) as they play concerts in 55 cities during two separate excursions. Autumn 1975 saw the PHOTO: KEN REGAN in the northeastern United A rare photograph shows singer Bob Dylan visiting States and Canada, and the falls before his Rolling Thunder Revue concert in Spring 1976 finds them in Niagara Falls in 1975. the south and west. The footage, with image Toomay, wide receiver vision show “Davy Crock- and sound restored and Ahmad Rashad, offensive ett: King Of The Wild enhanced by Scorsese and tackle Halvor Hagen, and Frontier,” Dylan reminds his team, reveals a relaxed legendary running back O. you of a sleight-of-hand series of good music, J. Simpson. artist. A card sharp who backstage fun and games, Dylan and others in his prefers the joker. and a very loose and play- traveling musical circus Scorsese crosscuts the ful Dylan, who was tired also spent time before 1970s material with a of performing in huge the concerts visiting the contemporary interview arenas. He wanted to sing world-renown falls. with Dylan. The best re- in small venues and charge In addition to Dylan, the sponse as he talks about low prices, so that his fans Rolling Thunder Revue the decades-old experi- could be close to the stage consisted of numerous ence is when the singer and also be able to afford other singers, writers, and is asked if there was any the tickets, which would hangers-on, some of them meaning to the Rolling be inexpensive. regulars of the tour, but Thunder Revue. Dylan Typical of the tour stops some coming and going. says: “I don’t have a was an appearance on Sat- Singers Patti Smith and clue. It’s about nothing, urday, November 15, 1975 Eric Anderson are seen it’s just something that in Niagara Falls, New as part of the build-up. happened 40-years ago. York, at the Convention Playwright Sam Shepard, I don’t remember a thing Center. Dylan wanted to musician T Bone Burnett, about Rolling Thunder. It avoid nearby Buffalo’s boxer Rubin “Hurricane” happened so long ago, I cavernous Memorial Au- Carter, and actress Ronee wasn’t even born.” ditorium. There were two Blakley are all caught on Even Scorsese is willing sold-out shows in The film. to prank his audience. An Falls, one in the afternoon There are a number of interview with a com- at 4:00 and one in the eve- fascinating takeaways plaining Stefan van Dorp ning at 9:00. from Scorsese’s lively and reveals some difficult In Niagara Falls, Dylan completely engaging docu- filmmaking secrets, includ- was joined on stage by mentary and the best ones ing his grumbling that he singers Joan Baez, Joni revolve around Dylan. He alone paid the cameramen Mitchell, Roger McGuinn comes across as a pixieish and sound engineers who of The Byrds, and Ram- master of ceremonies, a were shooting footage of blin’ Jack Elliott, as well playful magician wear- the tour. However, van as record producer-sing- ing white make-up or a Dorp isn’t a real person. er-songwriter Bobby Neu- see-through plastic mask, He’s played by the Ar- wirth, poet Allen Gins- unsure of what will happen gentinian-German perfor- berg, and the mysterious on the ramshackle esca- mance artist Martin von violinist, Scarlet Rivera. pade, but having the time Hasselberg and is called In the audience at the of his life. “The Filmmaker” in the 4:00 show were a quartet Dressed like the river- credits. His real-life wife of Buffalo Bills football boat gambler character is Bette Midler, who you players, defensive end Pat Thimblerig from the tele- can see talking briefly to

259355-1 Dylan way back in 1975. Talk about art imitating life imitating art. “Rolling Thunder Re- vue: A Bob Dylan Story By Martin Scorsese” begins with silent movie footage of a magician making a woman disap- pear. This sends a pre- Chow Town dictive message to the audience. In 1975, poet Ginsberg tells us: “Dylan might have some idea to do Grill & Buffet something, sort of like a con-man, carny, medicine show of old where you just get in a bus or a car- riage and go from town to town.” Dylan and Scorsese suc- ceed in delivering a witty, sparkling, song-filled sense of history. Michael Calleri reviews films for the Niagara (N.Y.) Gazette. Contact him at moviecolumn@ gmail.com.

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